Meyer content with Ohio State's evolving offense

Urban Meyer looks like a coach content with his team now. The Buckeyes came into their second bye week as one of the best offenses in the country, slamming opposing defenses with 48.2 points a game, and a defense that is starting to look Ohio State-like.

Ohio State's offensive stride couldn’t come at a better time. The Buckeyes jumped in both polls and the all-important BCS rankings. OSU moved to No. 3 from 4 and is one spot outsi...

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Buckeyes up to third in BCS standings

Ohio State's offensive stride couldn’t come at a better time. The Buckeyes jumped in both polls and the all-important BCS rankings. OSU moved to No. 3 from 4 and is one spot outside the BCS national championship game with four weeks left to in the BCS standings for things to shake out and No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Florida State and Ohio State all with conference championship games to play in the final week.

One year ago, when Urban Meyer talked about his Ohio State football team, the new coach looked like he had a constant case of indigestion. He had an athlete playing quarterback, he had offensive linemen who were big and slow afoot, and receivers he referred to as a clown show.

Meyer looks like a coach content with his team now. The Buckeyes came into their second bye week as one of the best offenses in the country, slamming opposing defenses with 48.2 points a game, and a defense that is starting to look Ohio State-like.

Would it reason, then, that Meyer thinks his Buckeyes could match up against any team in the top five ... Alabama, Oregon, Florida State?

"I don't know if I want to go there right now," Meyer said. "I'll know more after watching them this weekend. I haven't seen a lot of teams play."

But Meyer has coached a handful of really good, if not great, college football teams.

"I guess I've coached some really good teams, and we're a really good team," Meyer said. "I can't compare us to the other three of four teams because I haven't seen them."

Safe money has Meyer believing Ohio State could match up against Oregon. Like the rest of the country, he watched the Ducks get pushed around by Stanford and lose, opening a small crack for the Buckeyes into the national championship talk.

Meyer's second year at programs is usually a big step for the offense. But that is the case with most coaching changes as well.

Did anyone see 530 yards a game coming this season?

Last season, Ohio State's offense was as basic as "See Braxton Run." Meyer has compared Braxton Miller's progress to an athlete playing quarterback a year ago, to a quarterback who happens to be an athlete this year.

The last three games, it is hard to imagine a more efficient quarterback in the country than Miller. He completed 59 of 74 passes for 707 yards with seven touchdowns and one interceptions. That's just 15 incomplete passes in three games.

"It's a more mature offense," lineman Corey Linsley said. "I said in a meeting the other day, against Penn State that week, we didn't do any pods or inside runs, and that's the two staples of our offense in the running game in terms of practice. And we were able to come out and run a ton (431 yards) against them.

"It means a lot that we can be two-dimensional. We can run it, and if you want to clog the box, we have no problem with throwing it. We have a good scheme going."

While Miller has been spot-on throwing the ball, Ohio State's running game has taken off. The Buckeyes have 1,056 yards on the ground in the last three games and are averaging 7.4 yards a carry.

Page 2 of 2 - While Oregon and Baylor get a lot of the national attention because of fast, explosive offenses, Ohio State is almost forgotten in the national scene. The Buckeyes have speed threats, but the foundation of Meyer's spread offense is built on an offensive line that moves and mauls.

"I have not seen a single Baylor or Oregon game," defensive tackle Michael Bennett said. "I know our offense has a lot of weapons in the backfield, and we have some monsters on the O-line. I like that kind of offense that we can run it down your throat, and then we can air it out if we feel like it."

Bennett, who practices against the offense nearly every day, sees a quarterback who knows what he's doing.

"It's just being comfortable with the offense," he said. "It's knowing where to go with the ball. Guys are growing up and maturing. That's how it should be with this type of offense. There shouldn't be a lot of three-and-outs."